Jackson Mthembu, ANC Chief Whip, has come to the defence of former presidents Thabo Mbeki and Nelson Mandela following comments made after the release of old videos of them praising the infamous Gupta family.

The videos showed the former presidents praising the family after the release of Gandhi My Father which had been produced and hosted by the Guptas.

The 2007 video had seen Mbeki saying that it had been an honor to meet Mrs Gupta, the mother of the notorious brothers.

The videos had resurfaced on social media after an article by The New York Times detailing the rise and fall of the Guptas.

Naturally the video caused a stir, with some claiming the video proved that Jacob Zuma could not solely be blamed for the state capture that occurred. Others still maintained that the presidents had not been friends of the family and could not have predicted the current situation.